Entering a new realm!

Dear C1 and C2

To get to it, go to xxxxxxxx and then click on login. I will provide you with your pw.

Don’t use it to sign up for things without my permission...if you do you will get tons of spam

Don’t send emails you wouldn't want your grandmother to read.  In other words no bad words, no talking behind peoples backs etc etc.

If it would hurt your feelings it will hurt someone else's. 

I have access to your email account.  I will be reading your emails.  Inappropriate emails received or sent, will be cause you to loose your email access for 1 day.. Second offense 2 days.  Anything Very very inappropriate and you will lose access for 1 week. 

If you abuse this email in any way, spamming other people etc etc, I will delete this account.

You will use proper grammar when communicating with anyone other than direct friends.  That includes boy scouts, girl scouts, relatives or mom and dad, teachers, etc.  If you do not, I will make you retype it and resend it with an apology for incorrect grammar.

Please note...just because you can delete an email does not mean its gone.  It is NOT.  All computer systems store information forever.  If you throw something in the trash don’t think its gone...it can be retrieved.  Never send an threatening email!  Never send a sexting email.  Never send personal information like your phone number or house number in an email.  This information can be tracked.  Emails are not secure.  People have lost their jobs and even arrested because of what they sent in an email.

Because you are so young, email is a privilege.  Don’t abuse it and you wont loose it!

Love

Mom and Dad 

How to balance it all???

Well, its that time of year again.  School getting ready to start, scouting getting ready to start, football has started.
So, in my world, we have to balance, Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Piano lessons, Band, Football, committee meetings, Mom meetings(wine is usually involved!) and stuff that that older kids have not yet signed up for.  so basically, your typical family.

How the heck do we fit it all in.  This year is going to be even more interesting!  Hubby is the Cub Master of sons pack.  Son has started football.  Football, once school starts is three days a week.  Right now its 5 days a week.  CS meetings are on Mondays.  Football is on Monday, Tues, Thurs. 

Yeah conflict!  Bs's is on Tuesday nights, I have no idea when to schedule Piano lessons right now.  I think Band is 4 afternoons a week?

You should see my calendar!!!

So, basically its like this.  At least in my world its like this.  WE DO THE BEST WE CAN.  Yes, my son will miss a lot of CS's due to footbal.  Oh well.  He will not be the only one.  We will miss pack activities due to Football.  Oh well.  He will not be the only one.

When our oldest was a CS, we didn't get it.  We figured if you made a commitment to CS's you should be there!  Of course, we had the luxury of thinking that way since our other children were in diapers!  Boy were we clueless!!!


You can't do it all, and if you try to do it all, you will destroy the fun in it for your scouter.  If he's exhausted from football practice and you drag him to scouts, he will learn to hate scouts.

Dont force it, enjoy it.  Relax...the world will not end if you miss an event, or your son doesn't get a rocker, or daughter misses an activity.  Such is life.

This time we have with them, the running around, dropping kids off at the wrong place at the wrong time, sitting in the rain for 3 hours at practice(last night for me), eating dinner at 9pm, stuffing newspapers in the toes of cleats to dry them, finding music books, running a quick load of laundry at 10 pm that you will forget about for two days, etc etc etc....forgot my point here!

Its hard enough.   Dont add more stress into it.  If you miss a meeting, oh well.  If your leader or CM is not cool with it, inform that that this is life.  sometimes things get  missed.  Then, feel free to cuss at them under your breath as you walk away.  Its probably their only child, or they have a live in nanny :)

Facebook group or Website..what is right for your pack/troop

So a recent question asked on CubScouts Facebook group asked the question, which was better, a facebook group or a website for communication.  Both have their pros and cons...


Of course, since I run a website for scouting, SMDScouts, I am more partial to websites!  Most of them offer more features than a facebook group.  But, let me try to look at this impartially. 

FB...You can make your group private, invite people to events, post pictures and photo albums and use it to generally communicate information.  Oh and you can email your group.  There might be more, but these are the features I have used.  Now, it does seem that some people are more likely to use a fb group than a website.  I think this is basically a personal preference.  I mean, who isn't on fb now!  If you can believe it, I am on fb more than I check my own sons scouting website and I built the silly thing!  Of course, hubby is the CM so I just rely on him for information!


Now..websites. Of course I am partial to SMDScouts.com.  For obvious reasons.  Its my baby!  I have scoped out the competition and we all seem to be basically the same, (i'm just cheaper) :)

Since I am more familiar with my own website, I will use that in the comparison .  Now website, Memo field on home page along with calendar of events.  The ability to auto email event reminders.  Links to other sites, yes FB has this too.  Photo albums, yes on FB.  And on my site you can pw protect the pictures or the entire site.  On the admin side, you can enter rosters with complete information including parent information and addresses and emails and phone etc. And you can email from these rosters.  Fb you can only send out a mass email, SMDScouts can email the entire roster or individual dens or only board members.  The admin also has access to advancements which can be printed and taken to your local scout store for your list :)  Oh and event registration.  This is a big one for those of us with big groups. Forms are another big feature of most websites.  Upload them for your parents to download and print.   I for one am always losing forms so its a great feature for me!   Now these are only some of the features that SMDScouts offers.  A Few more than FB.  

I see it as this, fb is a social media..good for floating ideas, chatting up events etc etc,.  A website is an informational outlet.  You have info you need to get out and keep out. 

Well that is my two cents worth.

Twilight Camp

I know I talk alot about Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, but rest assured, I have a Girl Scout too!  I used to be her leader but after a run in with a parent spreading lies about me( I still have no idea why) I quit and now I only help out.  and Boy do I help out!

Twilight Camp.  A week long camp held in the evening 5 nights a week with a campout/lock in for the Jr's and up on the last day.

Its a wonderful wonderful time, despite those mom's who are just plain cranky and try to ruin it.  You know exactly what I am talking about.  We all have at least one of those moms! 

My job at camp is the MCL.  That is the Mean Craft Lady.  This was bestowed upon my by the PA's.  I am not quite sure why they call me mean.  Over the past 4 years Only one girl has ever cried under my tent.  and yes, I did feel bad about it!  Last year, they called me CCL, Crazy Craft Lady. That one I understood. 

How did this happened to me, how did I become the CCL or MCL for a GS Twilight camp which averages near 300 girls each summer?  I answered the phone.  I bet there is at least one of you reading this that knows exactly what I mean.  4 years ago, my phone rang...I answered and next think I knew, I was a committee member and in charge of crafts!

Our meetings start in January for a June camp.  And theres  never enough time to get everything done.  And trust me, GS's have the same problems with getting volunteers as BSA.  Camp was almost canceled this year due to the lack of a chair person! 

My job is to come up with the swaps and then one or two other crafts that they can do.  We also do scrap book pages, but a good friend puts those together for us!  (THANK YOU)  Swaps are the hardest.  This year our theme was Mystery.  Each group was named accordingly.
Scooby do made scooby snacks
Goosebumps made ghosts
Blues Clues (PA's) made little paw prints on paper
etc etc
there were 11 groups total..each member of each group makes 10 swaps.  this year we only had about 200 girls, so that was 2000 swap!

So with scooby, each girl received a zip loc with 10 pieces of clay and 10 pins.  (they were the youngest group)  as the girls get older, their swaps get more complicated.  The pink panthers made pink panther faces, so they had bags with 10 pink pieces of foam.  they had to cut out the pre draw shape then color it and add eyes and pins. 

Can I just say that crafts takes over my house in April and doesn't leave until the day after camp!  That would be today!  Its insane and annoying and frustrating and I dream about crafts, about miscounting or forgetting something at home etc etc, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Ok, maybe some days I would, some days I stop my feet and say 'I will never do this again' but every year in January we have our first meeting and there I am. 

On top of being the craft lady, I am the only one with a trailer...so, I get 7-8 coolers that I prepare with koolaid and water, the two giant wagons and the giant ice cooler.  oh and this year two fire pits, first aid, and a giant box of swim noodles, and more things that I can even think of right now. 


its exhausting!!!  I do 99% of the crafts myself, that is putting them all together.  most of the crafts have pins pre hot glued to them.  They have to due to lack of electricity at the sites and time constraints.  I can tell you that before I discovered low temp hot glue guns, there was a lot of cussing in my house as I did this! 

This year was a new experiment.  The older girls made borax goo! I actually dreamt about this one!  It didn't quite turn out perfect, but the girls thought it was disgusting so it must have worked out ok!

The last night we did a lock in instead of a campout.  I HATE LOCKINS!  I like sleep.  I need sleep, I am getting to old to go without sleep!  I stayed up with most of the other adults and way to many girls, all night.  Its not fair for the camp director to do it herself!  I made my daughter to lay down around 3am as she was a walking zombie.  Most of the other girls did pretty good.  We had one medical/exhaustion/kickball to the stomach around 4am?  enough that we had to write up a medical.  and we had one temper tantrum at 6am but it was not a surprise and I have known this child since forever, so I just kicked her butt so to speak :) 

Wow, I'm rambling...well, I did come home and sleep for a couple of hours, but I am looking forward to bed time! 

Overall, it was a wonderful time..200 girls plus parents, some whom we would have rather not volunteered, a monster storm that shut us down 1 hour into camp on Tuesday, cold and rainy the rest of the week, one anxiety attack, one exhaustion attack, one twisted ankle, one blood sugar issue(I'm fine now, a midnight run to Taco bell fixed that)   I have cleaned out my house, taking everything back to storage...and am already looking forward to next year...I think I have a theme idea suggested by my daughter already!

Oh..one more thing...if you dont like something VOLUNTEER!!

I did it!

As I talked about in my last post, I went on the 'Mom's Camp out'.  It was a canoe trip and I promised to tell you all about it....Phew...I'll be typing slow as my shoulders down to my finger nails are sore!

So we meet in the church parking lot(is there anyone that does not meet in a church parking lot?) and load up.  We had 21 adults and 32 scouts?  Something like that.  Needless to say, a lot of people.  Now our troop assigns kids to cars.  Kids dont get to pick cars.  I like this plan. Although my GF and I would have not complained if we didn't have our sons in the car with us. 

Now we dont try to caravan because there are just to many cars.  some with lead feet, some with out.  we each have a map along with a list of all leaders cell phone numbers.  2.5 hour trip and we have to stop for dinner.  I dont think that McDonalds will ever recover :)  I wonder what they thought when they saw all of us walking up to the door!  The trip went fine(not like last year when one of the trailers got Three! flat tires!!)  We were only delayed once when the road was closed by a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE accident.  It was very scary!  This showed us why we had a list of cell phone numbers.  After sitting for a few minutes, we received a phone call from our SM who was doing a head count.  It could have very easily been one of us in the accident.  Thank god it wasn't and we all said a prayer for those that were involved. 

So we get to our campsite.  Its raining and its dark.  We have our rain gear easily accessible so off we go to pitch our tent.  Did it very quickly.  It was raining but slowed down a little.  Mother nature must have been watching us!  Tents pitched, tent organized, air mattresses blown up(hush)

It was quite interesting watching the boys.  With seemingly very little direction, they moved picnic tables, assembled big tall dining tents?  They didn't have sides but did have tops to them.  then the assembled the cook area, and only when they were done with all of that, were they able to set up their tents.   We looked like a military campground.  11 scout pup tents!


I slept horrible..I think it was because the rain was so loud!  I wasn't cold, heck was quite comfortable.  It was just so loud!

Next morning we were woken up by one of the scouts and his bugle.  WOW!  He played beautifully and he's only a first year!  So a quick breakfast...wait, what am I talking about.  I knew this part would be hard for me.  I want a quick breakfast and to go go go go!  Well, that is not how it works. 

Each patrol makes their breakfast.  So, they get all of their gear out, all of the food, their stoves etc etc.  Yes, even the youngest patrol, made up of those little bitty 11 yr olds, are playing with a stove!  :)  Once breakfast is made and eaten, then everything has to be washed and put away.  Wait!Why can't they do this at home????

So, we are finally off.  We have, at least my GF and I, and most of the other adults, have packed extra stuff, like clothes, etc for the trip.

So, we are lined up in the mud! and all of the boys are pairing up with each other, you know, best friend with best friend.   Leaders come along and inform all of the boys that if they have never canoed before they will be paired up with  someone who has, and of the youngest group, they will be paired up with older boys or leaders.  Period!  And, there was no complaining about this.  No one whined or anything.  They just did it! 

Now my GF and I were very very very nervous and she was terrified we were going to tip.  Just getting in the canoe was scary!!!!  But, we did it, that is we got in without tipping and actually moved forwards.  I was overall, totally impressed with ourselves.  We never went sideways or backwards, and never ran into the shore! 
We did hang back from the rest of the crowd though.  It made me extremely nervous to have that many canoes around me.  (canoeing accident years ago with my two then young children)  So off we go.  We have 5 miles to go till lunch.  It was beautiful, cold but at least not raining. 

So we almost hit the lunch portion, where we beach and eat, when we come upon a bit of a cluster.  We quickly realize that there had been an accident, a canoe had gone in.  BAD when it is this cold.  Huge proud shout out to the older boy of the canoe.  The younger boy, a first year, had forgotten the number one cardinal rule, besides not standing up, no leaning over the side.  As soon as the they went over, the older boy jumped up and started shouting out for the younger boy until he found him and then got him to shore and somehow up the very muddy and slippery and steep bank! 

We stuck around long enough to see if they needed any of our extra clothes or hot hands and got quite a kick out of seeing their canoe being rowed back up the river on top of two other canoes!  and then we moved on.  We knew they would be ok, they were in capable hands and to many adults in the mix will cause more problems.  They knew what they were doing, so off we went.

So we get to lunch, simple stuff, sandwiches for leaders and whatever the patrols brought for themselves.  Except for the one patrol that forgot to put their cooler in the truck!  So, no lunch for them.  Well, to be fair, they did get to eat, but only after all of the patrols ate and the leaders.  If there was leader food left, we offered it to them, and if there was patrol food left, they could as for some.  The scouts will never be made to go hungry, but they will have to wait and lean a lesson.  and again, no one complained about it.  no one accused anyone...it was just something that happened and they moved on.   

BTW, the wet boys were ok.   The older took some of his dad's clothes and hung his up to dry, the younger boy was given clothes by various leaders and wanted to continue.  My GF and I offered to drive the poor wet cold lad back to camp and sacrifice the rest of our day, but he was good (grin)

So, off we continue.  5 down 5 to go.  It was beautiful!  To be honest, it got a little boring.  The boys were having a blast.  I think some of them went 15 miles in total instead of the 10.  According to my son, it was pinball aquatic style.  They went from shore to shore, zig zagging most of the time. 

The last 1.5 miles were were told, would be a little harder.  We would be meeting up with the mighty Mississippi and going upstream.  The water was calm them so it will be fine.

It was very cool seeing where the Ole' Miss met up with the river we were on.  You could see where the waters were hitting each other. One clear, one very dark brown.  Now the Miss was quite over its banks and it was quite tempting to canoe through the forests!  Some of the other boys did canoe through the grasses, there was no current there.  but they kept getting stuck!  We stuck with the river, stayed out of the grass and woods!

Again, it was quite beautiful, until we rounded one corner and then BOOM!  WIND!  I'm not talking just normal wind!  I'm talking the OMG WHAT WERE WE THINKING, WHY ARE WE HERE, ARE WE GOING BACKWARDS WIND!

That's right.  BACKWARDS!.  We were paddling forwards yet going backwards!  It was insane!  1, 2, 3, 4 switch, 1, 2, 3, 4, switch.  rest for 1 second, go backwards 10 yards, repeat. 

I would have quit but where were going to go?  There was not AAA to call!  it was insane!  but, WE DID IT!  I will never do it again, but I can say, I did!  I canoed the mighty Mississippi and survived!

We got ourselves back to our tents, where it again started raining...changed out of our wet muddy clothes and got ready for dinner.  Again, the boys all had to prepare their own meals.  We did step in on occasion, to remind boys that we don't cut raw meat and then done meat with the same knife without it cleaning it, kind of things.  

i think the cutest part of the day, was when a couple of the new kids asked their patrol leader that if they were done with everything, could they go to bed.  AND THEY DID!  It was still light out, barely even 8 o clock and off then went to bed! 
The next morning, woke up stiff and tired.  I didn't sleep as well as it was colder and wetter.  It was just plain damp.  nothing warms you up from damp. 

We ate pancakes and sausage while the boys prepared their meals.  One patrol forgot to buy breakfast so they waited till we were all done and then they scrounged :) 

Then  patrol lines, police lines, thorns and roses and off to heated seats in my GF's mini van! 

I had a wonderful time.  Despite the cold and the rain. Took a couple of great pictures, didn't lose anything except sleep.  all and all, a great experience.

Would I do it again?  Camping, yes, Canoeing 10 miles and camping in the cold damp rain....probably not.  

My GF and I decided that the next camp out should be about surviving outlet malls and matching discounts with coupons...then....we are so there!

I'm going camping!

Well, this weekend is the Mom's weekend.  Once a year, us moms, go camping with our boy scouts, much to their horror!  (my son has forbidden me to bring my knitting, lest I embarrass him!  I'm sneaking it in my pack)

This trip happens to be a canoe trip.  and the weather has gone from 90(record temps for may) to the 50's during the day and 40's at night.  Which brings me to the, 'holy crap, what to pack' section.

For the boys its easy for them.  They pack changes of clothes they never actually change into.  We force them to take warm clothes they would rather freeze to death than put on. 

I consider myself a rather light packer, i pack necessities but also think and look ahead.  This is not my first time in a canoe, or camping.  I have been white water rafting in the Rockies and also backpacked two weeks.  I consider this type of camping, car camping.  If I can see my car, it just doesn't count as real camping :) 

Regardless.  I hit my twitter feed up asking for suggestions.  Hoping I didn't forget anything....tarp...where is my tarp...why do we need a tarp?  anyway

I have, closed toed crocs for the canoe
hiking books recently bought and worn to break in
warm socks, cool socks(knitted of course)
jammes in layers, sweats, tshirt, long sleeve thermal and hoodie
hat and gloves, just in case
jeans, capris, and shorts
rain gear...shoot...where are the pants, I have only found the tops so far...
tylenol, excedrin, allergy meds, and pamprin (you never know)
contact stuff, tooth brush, glasses
flashlight, headlamp
spongbob uno
mess kit
sunscreen
dry bag for my phone and if I can find my camera
oh, I wonder which hat I should wear
sleeping bag, (air mattress and just hush)
camp pillow
camp fan
carmax

now, I know I am forgetting something.  I just dont know what?  and what do I expect?  Will my son embarrass me?  I will tell myself that he will just be acting like the rest of the boys, dumb.  Will the male leaders treat us like stupid moms.  That will annoy me and I dont think so.  I do have a background in camping, heck in the mountains back in Albq where I used to live.  Will my GF tip our canoe?  Will our tent be next to the snoring people?  Why do they have to bugle at 6am?  WE HAVE A BUGLE KID!   

I hope and pray we have fun.  I dont care if it rains...been there done that.  One cub scout camp out had to flee in the middle of a tornado!  I guess I'm excited and nervous? 

Wish me luck, say a prayer  and if I survive this weekend, look for a new posting on how things went, on Sunday or Monday!

Not about scouting....again...but very important!

It was a busy night in my house tonight.  I was thrilled when C1 had a bunch of friends show up and they decided to walk two miles back to one of the friends house.  I thought it was wonderful. 
After dinner, I went to visit two friends who had the unfortunate pleasure of being in the hospital.  I had txted C1 and told him I would pick him up on my way home. 

So, around 9:30, I got several frantic texts from my son begging me to come pick him up.  I figured it was typical teenage drama.  I hugged my GF goodnight, bid her well, and headed off.  I get to the friends house and C1 and his friend get in the car, obviously upset.  I didn't push, I didn't pry...C1 says to friend, should we tell my mom.  Friend says, I am not telling my mom.  I say to C1, you know you can tell me anything.  C1 proceeds to tell me that the friends house they were at, the parents were drunk.  and that they, C1 and his friend were very scared.  C1 also told me that the friend's house they were at, the friend told the boys that they(the parents) also smoke pot.


Yes, my heart stopped.  Yes, I wanted to cry.  Yes, I wanted to get angry, not at the boys.  Instead, I told the boys that they did the right thing.  I then dropped off C1's friend.  I turned to C1 and told him how proud I was of him.  I wanted to cry, to hug him, to protect him.  C1 then proceeded to tell me how friends dad was mean to his friend, called her horrible names along with the mom.  HORRIFIED!  I am absolutely horrified. 


I again told C1 how incredibly proud I am of him!  How he did the right thing.  Then, I told C1 that he was no longer allowed to go to this friends house.  I told him that he was not being punished.  I dont want him to be afraid in the future to tell me things, but what else am I to do.  He will never be allowed to go back there. 


I told him, that his friends will always be allowed to come to our house...have bonfires in our backyard..but never, never be allowed to go back there.


How horrible for him.  What a horrible thing for him to experience at such a young age.  (13)  But, I am so so so proud of him. 


Parents, please, please talk to your children.  We teach them to respect their elders, to be polite, that adults are always right.  but have you taught them what to do when an adult is wrong, or what to do when an adult's actions make them uncomfortable.  Teach them what to do, how to do it, what to say.  I have always told my kids that if they are in a situation that makes them uncomfortable, to call me....tell me their stomach hurts, tell me they have a headache whatever.  Just call me.  I will come and save them, protect them, hug them and tell them it will be ok, and tell them how proud of them I am.

And yes, I will be talking to C1's friends parents, the one that I dropped off. Their son might not have been taught that's its ok to tell them when something happens.  They need to know that that house is no longer safe.  I pray that they do not get mad at their son, I hope they get upset with themselves for not teaching their son, or not having an open relationship with their son.

I am proud of my son and his friend!

Not quite about scouting...but important

Boy have times changed..This blog posting is not quite about scouting, ok, its not about scouting at all, but it is about one of my children.  C1, my 13yr old, first class Boy Scout. 

It was in the news today about how the social media is affecting our children negatively.  My first thought was 'hogwash'.  But, tonight, I realized, it is effecting my son and I wonder how many other kids it affects.  (I never know if its effect or affect)! 

My son has been very moody lately.  he spends 90% of his time on FB or txting.  (its still cold here in the midwest, to cold and muddy to be outside playing yet)  I realized tonight how much he is being effected by the thoughts and opinions that are bombarding him every waking second of his day. 

I have to admit, I txt and FB all day long too.  But its innocuous stuff.  Comments about my kids or dogs, or the vacuum.  I'm Txting a gf about a funny sign, or does she want to meet for lunch.  We as adults, txt or fb about unimportant stuff. 

Kids are not txting or fbing about stupid unimportant stuff.  Or at least my son isn't .  Its always about drama...and in his world, its major drama.  whose fighting with who, who likes him or who doesn't, who said what about who.  Yes, we had this drama as kids, but when we got off the bus or walked in the front door, it was gone.  It was left behind.  Yes, there were occasional phone calls, but for the most part, it was left behind. 

Not anymore.  Now my son is being bombarded with this stuff every moment he is awake.  This is what is causing the warnings on the news. 

Imagine it like this...Someone in your family is very sick or dying or going through a divorce or whatever.  They are close to you..it is very painful.  And you are talking about it every single moment of your waking day, for days on end.  It will destroy you!  I'm sure many of you have been there, know the feeling, know the pain. 

Imagine your kids doing this, its what they are doing.  In their world, their drama is just as painful, and they are living it every waking moment of the day.  It is destroying them emotionally.

C2, my daughter, 11yo, went to neighbors house to be with her gf's.  She came home after a few minutes.  I asked why, she said cause they were only sitting around texting.  WTF!  All of the girls were in the same room, not talking to eachother, but txting others. 

So much for the art of conversation!  Now my daughter wants a cell phone so she can participate with her gf's while sitting in a room not talking to each other but texting others???? 

I really really think that this is a huge red flag!  IM, Texting, FB.  We have to be very very careful here.  Our children are losing touch with society as a whole.  They are losing the ability to carry on a conversation, they are not learning what should be said, or what should not. They are just saying it.  I have always worked hard on teaching my kids what to say, what not to say, etc etc.  I stand next to them when they are on the phone (when they are younger) and coach them on what to say etc etc. With Txting, IM, FB,  I dont have the ability to help them, to coach them. 

Some people may call this spying...NOPE!  Its teaching!  Ok, maybe a little spying, but how else is he/she going to learn what is right and what is wrong.  If you think that your parents never read your notes, or looked in your diary as a kid, YOU ARE WRONG! 

Just because our kids are not in our hair anymore, they still need us, now more than ever!

Hubby and I discussed this with our son, and have decided to limit his phone and fb time.  We told him it is not because he is in trouble, but because he needs to turn his brain off.  Take some time away from the drama...relax...

I think he understands...I hope he does...I'm sure he will when he becomes a parent........

Selling Stuff for all Branches of Scouts

One of the things that can be the most difficult and time consuming is selling stuff.  Out here our Cub Scout sells greenery as does our boy scout.  Boy, that can be difficult.  My BS also sells popcorn(who wants some) and mulch.  Not to mention Girl scout Cookies!!!

First, competing sales for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.  How do we do it?  I look at it this way.  My CS has a limit that they suggest, and he gets a percentage back in the form of a gift card.  My oldest gets a percentage into his scout account to use towards camps.  I think this is a no brainer :)  My youngest does not need a gift card to spend on junk at the store.  My oldest does have to learn that in order to attend an expensive camp, he has to earn money to pay for it.  I dont care if you as a family make six figures or are hardly getting by.

A scout is Thrifty.  A Scout works to pay his way and to help others. He saves for the future.

Trust me, I know what a pain it is to be marching up and down the street knocking on doors asking if they want to buy things. And yes, I used to do it with one in a stroller, and one in a wagon while I followed my now BS from house to house.   I would much rather be knitting.  But, it is a HUGE lesson to be taught.  My BS wants to go to camp..he must earn his way.  And, its a great way to meet your neighbors! 

Now, in our CS pack, we do require a min sold, only because last year we had to many who didn't and would up in the red.  We suggested that if a scout did not sell the min amount the parents would be 'ASKED' to donate $100.  I could not believe how many parents chose not to be inconvenienced by selling and just wrote a check. It was shameful.  They personally didn't even buy something from their son.

Everything we do with our children is a wonderful chance to teach them something, whether they like it or not!  Dont pass this opportunity up!

Now when it comes to GS cookies, that is not even a stretch.  Who doesn't want GS cookies!?  For some reason though, its always freezing or a blizzard when we have to start selling.  One year we had to drive from house to house because the snow drifts were to high to walk through!  I would love to petition to move the sales from Feb to July!

Because GS's dont have the same type reward system, outside of cookie dough, its entirely up to you if you want to share sales or just let them fend for themselves.  I dont have that problem so I dont know.  One of my GF's has that problem and they share sales.  *shrug*

You know the worst part of selling....DELIVERING!!!  When my oldest was a CS, it would take me three trips to pick up all of the greenary!  AT least now we have a trailer! 

Be prepared, if you have never sold before to have to eat the cost of something because someone has gone out of town for the month.  Personally, we are always off on our counts.  I never know why.  Probably because someone pays at the time of ordering and I pocket the cash and forget what its for :) 

Remember, this is a great learning experience, and teaches the kids how to talk to all different types of people, count up orders and add money for the younger kids.  It teaches the older kids how to earn something they want!  Yes, we have to suffer, traipsing through the cold, wet icky weather.  Dragging our kids away from the computer/tv/video game.  yes, its tempting to give in and not do it.  But, you were doomed the day you signed him/her up for scouts :) 

Happy selling!

Your new boy scouts first campout..what to expect...

Well, now that I am back from the dead, or the flu that my cub scout gave me, I can head back to my advice on your new Boy Scout.

Previously, I talked about gear...I re read this today and boy, was there foreshadowing I was getting sick or what...talk about a scattered post! 

So...now...Your sons first camp out and his first week long camp! 

DO NOT VOLUNTEER TO GO!  This is that point where I talked about letting go!  Now is the time!  He will do just fine without you!  If he gets homesick, they will handle it!  Yes, not the same way a mom would, but they will not tie him to a tree and tell him to deal with it.  Remember, they are parents also! 

Step one!  BE EXCITED FOR YOUR SON TO LEAVE!  Dont even think about saying I'll miss you!  Say it in your head a hundred times, but dont say it out loud!  He is going to be nervous in the first place, your job is to kick him out the door!  If he says, I dont want to go, tell him you will be fine, you will have fun and help him pack.  The leaders know that all new boys will be nervous! 

He has his big pack(I hope).  Sit your self down on the couch, and tel him what he should pack.   Dont forget, its always colder at night and its February/March so it will be either hot or cold!  If you have never packed a big pack, here is how it should go.

In first
Underwear, socks, jeans, shirts on the bottom.  Why, they will never get taken out and worn anyway..at least if they are on the bottom, they stay clean.  If you live anyway where its cold at night, have him wear his long underwear!  If he complains, dont fight about it, just have him pack it.  He will learn and I've never heard of a boy freezing to death while his long underwear was in his pack on his back! 
Next, sweatshirt then jammies.  he is packing the big part of this pack in the order he will use the items.  When he gets to camp, providing he leaves Friday night, he will need his jammies first.  Yes, I still call them jammies!  On the very top, his scout book and camp pillow, hat and gloves(if its cold)

Now your pack comes with a ton of different pockets.  The first couple of campouts is like setting up a new kitchen in a new house/apt.  You put things away in places but a week later decide it would work better somewhere else.  Pick a spot for the toothbrush and toothpaste and floss to go in on the pack (first put in ziploc bag).  Then next camp out put them in the same spot.  Dont worry, they wont get used anyway.  Do the same with the rest of his gear.  (minus the ziploc part)

The first aid kit does not have to be a big box you buy from the store.  It can be a zip loc containing a couple of bandaids etc. 

Frisbee, for a dinner place and silverware and a cup should go in one section, headlamp, rain gear in another etc etc. 

Dont forget a deck of cards!

Remember to make him do it.  If you put anything in there he wont know what or where it is.  Its like if your kids empty the dishwasher and put your favorite bowl in a different spot.  You have no idea where it is! 

Its ok, the pack will be to heavy, and will be huge on him.  You will over pack, he will complain.  Its ok.  he will survive.  You can then attack the sleeping bag to the bottom of the pack and slip the bed roll in there somewhere. 

Viola!  Packed.  Dont forget to have him put his pack on and take a picture!  I'll bet he pretends to fall over backwards onto the couch!!

Now, my sons troop, his old one and his current one, leave on Friday Nights.  Give you son money for food for the drive up!  This was not told to us....  I dont recommend an arch card as there is no guarantee that they stop at McDonalds.  Give him a $10 and dont expect change.

If this is a week long camp out, he will need money for the camp store and for events. I recommend putting money into different envelopes for different things.  Camp store money goes  into an envelope labeled as such!  or, ask a leader for help doling it out.  Depending on the cost of merit badges he wants to earn, we average sending an extra $50 to week long camp outs.  Weekenders, if there is a store there, $20.00    Dont expect change!

If you son is on ANY medication, put only what is needed for the weekend or week, in the prescription bottle, or OTC bottle, put it in a ziploc.  Put a note inside with his name, the dose the time needed to take.  With a sharpee put his name on the outside of the bag and troop number.  Your troop will have a drug guy.  You can give this to him in the parking lot. 

DO NOT LINGER IN THE PARKING LOT!  DO NOT EXPECT A HUG GOODBYE!  DO NOT CRY!!!!  its ok to wait until he gets in a car to leave. but spend the time talking to the other parents.  If you hover over him and coo and aww at him, he will think its not ok to be going.  Its like the first time you took him to preschool.  You handed him over and walked out the door.  SAME THING HERE!   

He is old enough to know what is right and what is wrong.  There are plenty of adults there to help guide him.  He may feel lonely but he will never be alone. 

When he gets home....oh that is a funny one...you will never actually know what time he will arrive.  The paperwork may say noon, but it could be 10 am or 3pm.  So dont make plans.  Make sure your son has your cell number and go about your daily routine.  My sons troop passes around a cell phone in the car for the boys to call home with an estimate. 

When he gets home....he will be tired, cranky, dirty and just plain gross!  You will be all excited wanting to know every single detail of every second of his time away.  he will shrug and say it was fun and say nothing else.  THIS IS GOOD!    It means he had fun!  You may or may not hear funny stories about what 'belch' did.  (they give each other disturbing nicknames, dont ask what his is)  Dont pry.  Nothing went wrong.  Everything was fun and fine!  If there was a problem, you would have heard about it already.  Trust me, there is at least one mom of a scout whose hubby is there as a SM or ASM who they have talked to.  If there was a problem, it would have been relayed back to you.

Last but not least!  MAKE HIM UNPACK HIS GEAR IMMEDIATELY, NO MATTER HOW TIRED ETC HE IS.  It is his responsibility!  Unpack it, just go ahead and wash all of it because it all smells like smoke anyway, make him wash his gear(not clothes if you dont want).  If possible hang his pack and sleeping bag outside to air out.  DONT LET IT STAY ROLLED UP AND PACKED UP  It will mildew! 

Once his gear is aired and dried, have him repack the stuff that will always go with him, then let him shower for 20 minutes and crash to video games!  :) 

Congrats!  You have survived your sons first camp out! 

My son is a Boy Scout....so much to get.!

Well...your son is now a Boy Scout.  If your new troop(remember its no longer a pack) is anything like ours, you were pointed to a website(www.smdscouts.com) where there is a 67 page pdf of the ins and outs, do's and don'ts. 

Please note, your son will be going on a camp out every single month! and for a week in the summer!  It is important to get the right gear but not have to sell one of the other kids to afford it.

Most important gear, backpack and sleeping bag.  Actually, lets start with the scout clothes. 

Most troops have class B's, which are simply t-shirts that they wear at camp.  Your son is 11 and not a huge kid.  Mine was five foot 5 at age 11, not typical.  Buy the shirts big!  Not huge, but big.  Your troop might recommend 5 shirts, especially for camp.  If you are money conscious, dont do it!  They wont change their clothes at camp!  My son came home from his very first weekend camp out wearing the same clothes he left in.  I asked him about it, he says to me, mom, there's no where to change there but in your sleeping bag.  Your son is 11 and wont want to strip down in front of other boys especially the older boys.  I buy three class b's, one size larger than he needs.

Scout pants.  Our troop requires the official scout pants.  Yes, I know they are $40 and I dont even spend that on myself for a pair of pants.  but what can you do.  I suggest that you buy the ones with the zip off legs.  Oh, and dont buy them big.  Buy them to fit.  The zip off legs work great...unless a minor flood comes along.  Last summer, one camp out, they had 8 inches of rain in one night!!!  One of my sons legs floated away never to be seen again.  True story!

I totally recommend a good backpack, one with a frame. Internal or external, its up to you.  I am partial to external because I like to have the ability to hang things on the outside of the pack, and you have more options, in my opinion, to hook things up.  Yes, its a lot of money!  I spent over $100 on my sons. but, keep in mind, its going to be used at least 12 months a year for the next 7 years.  Its worth it.  I shudder when I see kids show up in the parking lot with two or three duffels or even ,yes, a rubbermaid container!   Why do we use a purse with a long strap that we can loop over our head....to keep our hands free!  You can fit EVERYTHING into one of these packs!  There are more pockets and hooks!  We use our sons when we go to the beach.  It fits everything we need in on pack! 

Oh, go out and buy a dozen carabiners.  They are great for hooking things on the pack! Home Depot sells them cheap!

Sleeping bags, it depends on your neck of the woods.  Yes, down is the warmest, but if you are in a wet and cold area, like Chicago, you dont want down!  If it gets wet, its useless! 

This is a great site for explaining the types of gear.  Scout Gear.  Its got great information, but is a bit of mind blaster with so much information.  Wicking and layering etc etc...   It was a little to much for me but help me pick out the right bag for my son.  You dont need to buy a $100 bag.  My sons is a mummy bag that cost $30 at Farm and Fleet.  It is rated -15 and they never camp outside when its that cold.  Make sure it comes with a good stuff sack that can attach to the backpack.  Remember, hands free.

Now, they will also need a sleeping mat.  Again, they dont need a $100 mat.  I think the one I bought was around $20 at sports authority.  You can blow in one end to puff it up a little.  Then, go to a fabric store and get some long velcro straps.  Mats dont come with bags and you want to be able to roll it and attach it to your pack.

Dont forget a camp pillow!  If it gets wet, its much easier and faster to dry on a line than your son's pillow from home.  And it stuffs into a small bag and fits into the pack much easier.

Mess kit.  Stumbling tripping boys, not watching where they are going with their food on a plate...Frisbee!  I know this sounds crazy, but a frisbee!  Upside down it holds quite a bit in!  Knife fork cup etc yes, and engrave your sons name on it!

These are the most important items that I can think of.  Yes, there is a huge list of things, but they can all be purchased cheaply at your local stores and even the dollar store.  Check there for a headlamp and flashlight and batteries! 

Keep in mind, what you buy will probably get lost!  Which is why I dont recommend spending a lot of money on gear.  Except the big gear.  Harder to lose that! 

Oh..one more thing that is not on most lists....a deck of playing cards!  It should be a must!  Last summer camp out, one of the trailers got three, count them three flat tires... yes a two tired trailer.  Deck of cards can be a lifesaver!

Under no circumstances should you pack your sons pack!  You can assist, with what he should put in there, but dont touch his stuff.  He wont know where to find it or if its even packed, if he hasn't packed it himself!  And he has to learn somehow how to fit all of it. 

If rain is predicted, days of clothes in Zip Loc bags.  But dont be surprised when he comes home and all of his clothes are still neatly packed in those zip loc bags. 

They have a ton of fun at camp outs.  They dont change their clothes, they dont brush their teeth, they dont use deodorant!

They come home smelly and filthy and exhausted! 

Last bit of advice on this really log and scattered blog posting......

Make YOUR SON unpack his pack first thing!  Empty it completely, and then if possible hang it outside to air out, along with his sleeping bag and pillow.  They will reek!  Then, have him re pack the items that he uses for the camp outs in his pack.  Mess kit, first aid kit, flashlight, etc etc.  That way he is not frantic five minutes before its time to leave because he can't find his spork :)

Happy Camping!!

Letting go....

I touched on this briefly in my last blog post, Choosing the Right Troop, about letting go. 

Dear Scout Masters, Ass't Scout Masters Patrol Leaders, and other, older boys.

My son is 11 yrs old.  He is just a baby. I can tell you everything about him.  He's sensitive, funny, creative, helpful, and a wonderful person.  Please love him like he is one of your own children, better than if he was one of your own kids(we are all nicer to the neighbors kids than our own, right)  Help him choose the right path, guide him, love him, nurture him.  Understand my position.... I am now being asked to hand him over to a group of strangers, men and boys a like.  I am being asked to let go...to just plain let go.  to drop him off at meetings and wave goodbye.  To not know what he is doing every second he is with you.  To leave it up to him to keep track of his things, his book, his requirements, his jacket!  Here is my son, please take good care of him.

YEAH RIGHT!  Ok.  To be honest, that is what you are going to be asked to do!  You go from knowing every inner working of your cub scout pack, to not even knowing the other boys names or *gasp* their parents! 

I will never forget when I took my son to his first troop meeting, (it is now called a troop, not a pack).  I stayed.  I was the only parent there not wearing a brown shirt with patches glued or stapled to it!  I was surround by a ton of boys, most of them taller than me, running around greeting each other, back slapping, belching, you know, being boys.  My son was so nervous....so was I!  Its always scary to go from an environment that you spent years being comfortable in, to one that you are sooooooo lost in! 

Good lord man! (directed towards my husband) what do you mean I am supposed to just drop him off and go.  Just last week, I had to remind him that we dont climb on tables at his last pack meeting.  Who is going to keep him in line now?  that doesn't quite sound right, but I think you know what I mean.  How am I supposed to make sure he behaves himself if I am not there!!??


Well, one thing I noticed, there are a lot of ASM's there.  That is Ass't Scout Masters.  I mean a lot.  There are also a lot of older boys there.  Yes, I know..slightly scary  *teenagers*.  But my point is, there are a lot of people there to help guide your son, my son, along the correct path.  To keep him from climbing up on tables!  To goof around at meetings, or during meetings I should say. 

Its about letting go.  That is what Boy Scouts is about.  Yes its also about learning a lot of great values and tying knots and making fires...but, for moms and their first born sons, its about letting go!  We can do it!  It will be hard...but it is necessary!  It is important..they are boys, soon to be men.  They must learn to stand up for themselves, keep track of their belongings, their feet and hands, and their mouths.  They will NEVER learn that if we are always around.

Dont get me wrong...I am involved.  Once a year, the moms join their sons on a camp out..and just last week, I found his shirt for him.  Now, my son (due to other circumstances)needs a little parental prodding to keep him moving towards his requirements.  But to be honest, I think all young boys do.  Its ok to prod a little, to remind about requirements, etc etc., but step back! 

Take a deep breath, and step back!  Your son will thank you for it and heck, once they hit 12-13, they dont want you around anyway :)

Next post, camping...what to bring, how to pack it and what to expect...  and if anyone finds a wallet made out of duct tape, please let me know..he left it at the last meeting and no one has found it(i think it got tossed by someone knowing it was a duct tape wallet)

Choosing the right Boy Scout Troop.

So, prior to the blue and gold, we were supposed to visit other BS troops in our area in order to make a more informed decision about where we were going to have our son spend the remaining of his scout years.

Its kind of like picking out a new dentist.  You ask your friends, neighbors, other members, but you really dont know until you start going. 

My son loves scouts.  Is not a sport guy at all.  He is the type of person you want next to you on a plane if it goes down in the mountains!  He was 8 when he built a waterproof lean - to in my backyard.  He was also 8 when he started a fire using two sticks.  (partially my fault, I had show him to make a bow and use the string gizmo) 

He loves the woods, loves camping and is your general grizzly adams type of character.  So, it was important for us to find a troop that fit what he wanted.  1000% scouting.  My husband and son went to meetings, went on the webelos camp out etc etc.  Did everything they were supposed to do to find just the right fit for my son.. 

Guess what!  It was the wrong fit for my son.  The troop we picked, we thought kept a tight reign on things.  They did not.  My son, due to other issues, needs a little more prodding towards goals than maybe, some other kids.  Needs a little more structure.  The troop we picked did not have that.  It took us a year to realize our mistake.  (there was a little more to it than this, but not really necessary to go into detail)

What did we do?  We moved him.  Just because you put your son into a troop, that does not mean that he has to be there for life.  If its not a good fit, then its not a good fit. 

BS's is so different the cub scouts.  We dont attend meetings or camp outs.  We dont go to community service projects or eagle projects.  We drop them off in a parking lot.  We have to rely on the values that we have taught our boys so far to carry them through.  Which means, that when we drop them off in the parking lot (handing them over to patrol leaders who are huge and need a shave), we are relying on their 11 yr old sense of right and wrong to carry them through.  They will be influenced by boys who were not raised with the same sense of values. 

Remember, this is about the boys.  More specifically, this is about your son.  If after a day, or a month or a year, you decide that the troop is not a good fit, then move your son.  But, dont make this decision lightly.  Dont move him because he's being picked on.  According to my husband, boys get picked on.  Use it as a learning tool. 

But, if it is not a good fit at all, then by all means, move!

Blue and Gold and Moving on.....

With the February comes the Blue and Gold....which also means anyone with Webelos is moving up, out and on.

Guess what Mom's and Dad's.  Big big changes are in store for not only your son but more so for you! There are so many things you will need to know and understand, to many to write about in one posting, so I will provide my insight over several posts.  Please understand, I am not speaking for all cub scout packs or all boy scout troops.  Only my own personal experiences.

First...the new mom panic! 

We go from being at every function and almost every meeting to dropping them off at the door and leaving.  Yes, troops do encourage parental involvement, but not like they do in Cub Scouts.  We are used to receiving emails, phone calls, notes in the mail, newsletters, reminders, about upcoming activities.  We go to a pack meeting, we are handed a sheet with information regarding the next activity, we fill it out and give them a check. 

Now, we have to, are forced to reply upon the boy to provide this information.  I dont know about the rest of you, but I swear my son would forget his shoes if I didn't yell shoes as he tried to run out the door for school. 

Hopefully, your troop has a website (www.smdscouts.com).   This way you can keep up to date on events.  Or maybe its a small troop so its easier to get information.  My sons troop....very big..  they dont have time to babysit.  They hand out paperwork, or send one email.  If you miss the deadline...tough!  There are no more constant reminders.  This is apparently what boy scouts is all about.  Teaching our boys independence and responsibility.  Dont get me wrong, I am all for that...but...

expect to feel completely lost the first couple of months or even year.  It is a normal feeling!  Resist the urge to go with your son to every meeting.  No one elses' mommy is there :)  We are forced to let go, all at once.  it becomes more of the boys responsibility to keep track of paperwork and even requirements for things like tenderfoot, second class etc. 

This is a GOOD thing!  Let them go..a peck on the cheek(if no one else is looking) and our fingers crossed that they dont do anything stupid, but let them go. 

Next blog....  What if we choose the wrong troop to put our son in???? 

Cold Weather Camping

Being a mom with a BS, I have the opportunity to go on any camp out they have.  Therefore we all get together once a year and go on a camp out with our sons. 
I was fortunate enough to miss last years camp out when all of the moms earned their polar bear patch!  I've camped in the cold.  I've camped at 12K feet in the summer and froze my you know what off!  I dont camp in the cold anymore.

So, one of the moms heard of a great idea and she said it saved her.  She made a mat out of insulation.  Not the fluffy stuff you blow into the attic but the stuff that comes in a roll and is lined with some sort of silver backing? 
Anyway...here is how you make it

Basically, go to Home Depot and ask them to cut you a piece about two feet wide by six feet long.  They will do that.  Bring it home and cut it into strips width wise not length wise.  How wide should the strips be..no clue..but here is what you are going to do with them

Re assemble your mat by duct taping only one side of it back together.  You are basically making your mat into an accordion that you can easily fold up and carry!  How cool is that!

Now..since I dont do cold weather camping anymore, I was unable to test this myself...however, I did hear from the moms that used it that it worked great and protected their bodies and retained their heat. 

so give it a shot...see what happens. 

Next camp out for me...canoeing, summer thing and all

So I built this website....

When my Oldest (C1) was a tiger cub and hubby was a Tiger Leader, his pack did not have a website..heck not many packs back then did. 

Well back when I had a life, pre kids, Oh that does not sound mean...we all had lives back then...did what we want, when we want where we wanted and with whom.  I love my kids and cant imagine life without them but sometimes.......

anyway...I used to be a programmer way back when...so I sat down and built my son's pack a website.  It was crude and painful but it worked.  Well, then my daughter became a Daisy and I her leader..Again, I built a site, this time basing it off of my sons site.  C1 became a BS, I built them a site....do you see the pattern.  I got tired of redoing the same thing over and over.  So...with a few modifications...I re-built one site, added a few extra extras tweaked it here and there and launched it.  I asked people I knew to take it for a test drive and break it. 

Soon, I began getting permission to post it on FB groups etc and got more people to play with it. People began making suggestions, I began building them. 

Originally, I offered it as donation only....sigh....Didn't work..  Remember, I am not looking to make money...but I have to pay my overhead :)  So I was forced to charge.  but...its for a really really good cause, so I charge a buck a month.  Hubby says I am crazy especially because I am not covering my costs yet...but oh well...I believe in time I will be.

Now, I am learning to market my awesome site!  Not because I want to make a ton of money, I mean how can I on $1.00 a month, but because I want every scout mom or ASM Widdow (like me) to be able to keep track of where her kid or kids go on certain days..I want people to be able to RSVP online for events so leaders dont have to call everyone in the den.  Things like that..

So ...wish me luck and spread the word!

www.smdscouts.com

Pinewood Derby`

Did I mention that besides trying to get C1 out the door tonight C3 has his first pinewood derby.  His car looks exactly like the box.  Apparently when you are 7 that is good. I thought it should be a lincoln log as that is his favorite toy. 

Oh well.  It should be fun...I think, if I was there for more than 45 min..C2 has a basketball game that I have to take her to right in the middle of the derby.  Oh well..

Oldest heading off to Cave Campout

My oldest know as C1, is heading off to a BS camp out located in cave. We have been told by the SM that any clothes that C1 wears in the cave should be thrown out when he gets home...wait., what? 

Apparently, the cave is very muddy and constantly dripping water..I had to go out and buy a tarp for him to drape over his tent so he does not have to be rung out in the morning. 

Ok...Here is a good idea for all of you scouting mom's and dad's out there.  If you should have  a camp out like this, go to your neighborhood thrift store and buy clothes there.  That way you have only spent a couple of dollars and dont feel so bad about it.  I actually bought my GF a winter jacket for her son as his is a brand new ski jacket.  $5.00.  it was half off day.

No, normally, I send the digital camera with him to camp outs.  I dont think I will do so this time.  He's not very good at keeping himself clean.  He is the type that will be crawling through every nook and crany of that cave. 

The upside...It is a constant 53 degrees inside the cave.  Which may seem cold to many of you, but it has been below zero here so that will feel like a heat wave..

Maybe I'll post a pix of him when he gets home...we might have to hose him off in the back yard.  I dont envy the leaders who are driving!